Amid major cry regarding its cancellation owing to a steady rise in Covid-19 cases across the country, the decades-old Gangasagar Mela, of West Bengal which occurs during Makar Sankranti every year, starts today and will continue till January 16.
The Calcutta high court on Friday gave a go-ahead to the Trinamool Congress-led state government to conduct the event after taking necessary measures to check for Covid-19. In its judgment, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Kesang Doma Bhutia directed the Bengal government to “implement with full force” the state’s own order, dated 2 January 2022, at the Mela premises. The order issued in the wake of the fresh surge in Covid-19 cases stated that “not more than 50 persons at a time shall be allowed for any social, religious and cultural gatherings”.
During the course of hearing of the Public Interest Litigation filed by a medical practitioner Dr Avinandan Mondal seeking a ban on the fair this year, the state submitted that it was expecting a congregation of over 5 lakh pilgrims at the Sagar Island during the course of the Mela from 8-16 January.
Every year on Makar Sankranti, thousands of pilgrims, seers, and tourists are expected to take a holy dip in the confluence of Ganga and Bay of Bengal, and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni Temple.
During the hearing when the court showed concerns regarding the virus spreading due to oral and nasal droplets transmitting through river water after the pilgrims take dips in the confluence. Advocate General SN Mukherjee, representing the West Bengal government, however, reportedly informed that residents of Sagar Island have been inoculated with both jabs of Covid-19 vaccine and the test-positivity rate in Diamond Harbour was under control.
The High Court has also directed the government to declare Sagar Island as a “notified area” by invoking Section 3 of the Gangasagar Mela Act, 1976 within a day of the pronouncement of the order. The Section addresses the health, safety, and welfare of the attending pilgrims.
And the state has been instructed to ensure that all persons and pilgrims at the Gangasagar Mela ground mandatorily wear masks, adhere to social distancing norms and use sanitisers. The same protocols are applicable for individuals associated with the control and management of the event such as police personnel, medical personnel, volunteers and government officials. As many as five RT-PCR testing facilities along with some rapid antigen testing centres must be set up at all entry points, including Howrah and Sealdah railway stations.
The opposition reacted strongly to the nod, the state’s BJP on Friday sought control on the number of people attending the upcoming Gangasagar Mela in view of a massive upsurge in COVID-19 cases. State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya also urged the governments of other states from where pilgrims come in large numbers to the annual fair to impose some restrictions at their end.
“We urge the State Election Commission and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to postpone the municipal elections by at least a month owing to the surge in COVID-19 infections in West Bengal,” Bhattacharya told reporters. There would be no harm if the elections are deferred for the time being. The polls have already been delayed for a long time due to the pandemic, he said.
Covid-19 Cases in West Bengal
West Bengal reported 18,213 fresh Covid-19 cases on Friday, a four-fold rise since the beginning of the year and 2,792 more than the previous day, a bulletin released by the state health department said.
Kolkata city itself accounted for the bulk of new infections reporting 7,484 fresh cases, some 14 per cent more than Thursday. The death toll in the state mounted to 19,864 with 18 more fatalities, the heath department’s bulletin said. However, the state government has decided to go ahead with the Gangasagar Mela, a religious gathering at an island where the Ganges river enters the Bay of Bengal.
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